The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has officially announced Johannesburg MMC for Human Settlements, Mlungisi Mabaso, as its mayoral candidate for the City of Johannesburg ahead of the upcoming local government elections in November.
The announcement was made on Saturday during an event held in Jabulani, Soweto, where party supporters gathered in large numbers to welcome the candidate.
Originally from Ulundi in KwaZulu-Natal, Mabaso first entered the City of Johannesburg mayoral committee in 2019 when he was appointed MMC for Housing under the coalition government led by the late former mayor, Geoff Makhubo (ANC).
At the time, Mabaso was the youngest MMC in the city at just 30 years old.
Since then, he has retained his position across different administrations. He was reappointed in 2021 under former Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse (DA), and again in 2024 under current mayor Dada Morero.
IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa officially unveiled Mabaso before cheering supporters.
“It now brings me great pride to introduce to you, and I’m deeply honoured to announce the IFP Johannesburg mayoral candidate and my incoming mayor of Johannesburg, the Honourable MMC for Human Settlements, Mlungisi Mabaso,” said Hlabisa, prompting loud cheers from the crowd.
Mabaso is expected to face competition from several high-profile political figures in the race for Johannesburg, including Herman Mashaba, Helen Zille, and Kenny Kunene, among others.
